Comments (4)

Like every day maybe :) Beer is one thing that is a bit more expensive in Malaysia but pretty much everyhting else is about the same as Thailand and in Penang it's often cheaper and the quality of life there is considerably better if you ask me as you pretty much avoid all the sex and drug tourists that Thailand is so infested with.
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I was recently in Penang and have to disagree about the quality of the Internet. There were very few places that were known to be 'digital nomad friendly' that actually had decent Internet.
According to Netindex, Penang averages 3.15 mbps. In comparison, Bangkok averages >20, Ho Chi Minh City >17, KL has speeds twice as Penang.
Asides from speeds, there wasn't much of an Entrepreneurial network (it exists but it is tiny), co-working spaces barely exist and working in nomad-friendly cafes was very difficult to do. I gave up and worked from my room during my stay.
Don't get me wrong, Penang is lovely and I'll go back - but as a DN, it's far from acceptable.
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I have been to Penang well over 10 times over the past 12 years and I have always been very fine with the wifi, but I am outside the backpacker/tourist area and that might make the difference.
And I much prefer the enviroment in Penang when it comes to business.
Maybe I have just been unlucky but I have always found the that the so called entrepreneur enviroment in Thailand is mostly travel bloggers who write about the same elephant sanctuary and the same vegetarian food and because of that always struggle financially. I have come across suprisingly few local entrepreneurs when in Thailand, but maybe I have just been unlucky.
In Penang and KL too for that matter I find that there is some very vibrant locals who start up new things all the time.
I work in tourism and have pretty much decided to stay away from Thailand as a while because it's too dominated by foreigners who are so broke they will work for any way, so I prefer the neighbouring countries as I get paid much better as a freelancer there and have a more interesting social life cause there is a local vibrant middle class I can hang out with.
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My home town: Seoul, the capital city of the country with the World's Fastest Internet and the World's Largest Bandwidth.

It's also a huge economically booming city. Think of NYC, but cleaner, safer, better parties, 24 hour EVERYTHING, and public transportation that gets you to EVERY CORNER of the city (I kid you not on this. You'll get there either by cheap taxis, uber, subway, bus or mini bus).

Rent is on the pricier end, but everything else is relatively cheap (food, tourism, travel, etc. is VERY affordable).

People are friendly and a big majority of the younger population can speak English.

There's also an area called Itaewon, that is just all international and expats. There's a lot of international parties here and almost all the businesses here are owned by expats and a great way to network.

I've been to dozens of meetup events in Seoul and a lot of them are either geared towards international/expats or business networking.

In the grand scheme of things, Buenos Aires is pretty high up there - a lot of cities just happen to rate better with the algorithm that the site uses. Plus a lot of cities are tied for scores so its a bit higher than it looks. I'd day the pollution and the average Internet speed is keeping it down.
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I'm doing series of interviews with remarkable digital nomads - entrepreneurs and startups about their experience of working on the road. The interviewees share places, costs, advantages as well, I think it's a good source of practical info and inspiration. First of the interviews is with traveling startup Maptia: https://nomadlist.io/blog/maptia-digital-nomad-startup/

Each of those are drastically different, although all have ex-pat or western entrepreneurial communities into which you can plug in seamlessly.

Honestly, it depends on what YOU are looking for, in the way you spend your non-working time and the experiences you have beyond the business, because all of these cities have the amenities to support your bootstrapping.

It's the business opportunity that might compel you to move there but the culture that will determine whether you stay.

In my opinion, Manila in the Philippines is one of the best city to live and work. I lived there for 3 years between 2006-2009 and lived on less than $1,000/month. On that budget I was able to travel around the country on weekends, go out most nights of the week, and live a very active lifestyle.

Rent:

You can live in downtown Makati City in 1 br apartment in a nice condo for less than $600/month. If you live further away from downtown you can reduce that amount to less than $300/month. If you want to go real budget you can even go below $200/month. Food:

Food is super cheap in Manila. You can have a great meal at a nice restaurant for around $10, or you can eat a meal at a fast food restaurant for less than $2. Food is so plentiful and cheap that I didn't cook much at all. But if you enjoy cooking, you can save even more money.

People:

Manila is an incredibly easy place to make friends. There is a rather large community of expats and foreign students and there are social events throughout the week to meet new people. The expats often arrange group trips out of town and that can be a great way to make new friends and see the country.

Nightlife:

Partying in Manila can get expensive if you like to go clubbing. Some places charge cover but you can usually get yourself on a guestlist and get in for free. Beers at restaurants go for about $.50 and up to $2 at clubs. You can have a pretty awesome night out for less than $20.

Travel:

Traveling within the country is very cheap. You can fly from Manila to Cebu City, Boracay Island, or Palawan for less than $200, and you can find cheap hotels and hostels for less than $20. If you are willing to travel by bus, you can save even more money and see more of the country.

Internet:

I'm not sure how the quality of the internet compares to the other cities in Asia, but I never had problems with it while I was living in Manila. There can be occasional brownouts but that's usually not a problem in the nicer areas of the city.

Conclusion:

Not only is Manila a cheap place to live and work, it is also a great place to make new friends and enjoy a new lifestyle. I highly recommend giving the Philippines a serious look if you plan to work abroad.

I might be biased, but I would say Tel Aviv. Let's get one thing out of the way - the cost of living. Israel, and especially Tel Aviv, is expensive compared to the US and Europe. Some better plan, budget and come prepared. That said, mobile and internet is super fast and cheap.

Free WIFI is everywhere - restaurants, bars, cafes, buses, trains.

Tel Aviv is a 24-hour city, meaning people are out at all times of the day, everyday. It has a very cool vibe and the people are fun. Compared to other metropolitan areas in the world, and contrary to what the media sells you about Israel, Tel Aviv is extremely safe.

Israel is definitely one of the best hi-tech scenes in the world. Tel Aviv, and other close by cities like Herzliya, are hi-tech heaven. There are tons of entrepreneurs, developers, startups, etc. for you to develop your entrepreneurial network.

Jaffa is at the southern part of the city. If you want a change of scenery, how about a 3000+ year old port?

I would suggest Eastern Europe. Riga, Budapest, Sofia, Timisoara etc. are all great, interesting cities (though Sofia has some pretty grim architecture), with excellent value for the money. They have all the modern conveniences for a fraction of the price, and you're close to the rest of Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. What also strikes me is that much of the population (the younger part anyway), is hungry for purpose and success - a great community. After all, Skype was started in Estonia.

Hi Billy,My vote goes to Chiang Mai. I'm writing from a nice coffee shop, sharing a table with 12 fellow digital nomads. Great place for networking. Food is delicious and incredible cheap. Weather is great. I feel safe walking around late in the night. Plenty of choices for acommodation,the list goes on...Other cities that I would like to live : Malaga, Valencia , Izmir and Istanbul.Just one tip regarding cities in Brazil, prices are rising and rising! Safe travels!Robwww.loveandroad.com